Process

The next area of consideration is process. What is the level of process change? Once again we look to the above points to be able to begin to what we will need to change in terms of processes in our business, how these changes will impact our business and ultimately how we can best manage these changes.

As with structure the key to managing change in processes is to be able to see the full picture and understand how each interaction within your company may be affected.

As you assess the impact of your change management program it is essential to look across each and every process that is undertaken to understand if it is subject to change

Whether it is between office and field based staff, differing divisions within your company (service operations and sales for example) or even between your company and other third party organisations (either client or provider) you need to understand how your change management program will impact these interactions.

What changes will need to be made to your internal processes in order to accommodate these alterations? As you assess the impact of your change management program it is essential to look across each and every process that is undertaken to understand if it is subject to change and if so what those changes will be. Then as with structure it is imperative that these changes are identified with all stakeholders informed and where required, new lines of responsibility clearly demarcated.

Tools

Finally we come to the point where perhaps many of us may have thought we should start –the actual tools that we will be bringing in, indeed those very tools that are the driving force of the whole change management project itself. Depending on where you are in the process of selecting your new system you may well have already chosen your new solution/configuration etc.

However, if you are still in the early stages perhaps you should consider bringing in representatives from various divisions of the workforce including managers, as well as field and office based operatives, as part of the selection process.

Not only will they give you great insight into how the tool will be implemented, but also they will form a core of your change agent network – a topic we will look at in further detail later in this series.

Any good technology provider should be offering their full assistance throughout the implementation process and can be an invaluable partner as you tackle your change management program.

Yet if the decision has already been made in terms of selecting the tools you will be using then this may not be an option. You can however certainly turn to your technology provider to ask for their guidance at this point – they should be prepared to be share with you their experience of previous implementations and any good technology provider should be offering their full assistance throughout the implementation process and can be an invaluable partner as you tackle your change management program.

It is important to explore each of the above areas, assessing how they will be impacted by your change management program and planning how to best manage each of the steps of change. It is also important to remember that Change Management is not a one hit procedure and you should be continuously reviewing the impact of change on each of the above areas as you continue through to full adoption and beyond.

In the next feature in this series we will look at the importance of engaging both the head and the heart as you go through the Change Management Process.

Kris Oldland has been working in Business to Business Publishing for almost a decade. As a journalist he has covered a diverse range of industries from Fire Juggling through to Terrorism Insurance. Prior to this he was a Quality Services Manager with a globally recognised hospitality brand. An intimate understanding of what is important when it comes to Service and a passion for emerging technology means that in Field Service he has found an industry that excites him everyday.

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